Guardian Angel
by Vulaan Kulaas
Summary: Six months have gone by in peace until Kirby is struck down with a fever one morning, Meta Knight coming to his rescue. He'll learn how much he has come to love the child, and he'll see how much he's loved in return as he's struck down without mercy by the same illness. Father and son relationship, takes place after the anime.
1. Rescuing a child from an internal enemy

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my very first fanfic and what better way to start than in the Kirby series? Now, this takes place six months after Kirby has defeated Nightmare in the anime and as such Cappy Town has mostly recovered from the aftermath. I hope you guys have a blast reading it! It was a blast for me to write for your enjoyment!

Disclaimer: I, Vulaan Kulaas, do not own Kirby or anything of the sort. That enjoyment belongs to HAL Laboratory and Nintendo, those lucky people. If I would've been lucky enough to own Kirby, I would've made sure there was more Father/son moments in the anime.

NekoSmeet from DeviantArt has some of the cutest Meta Knight and Kirby father/son pictures, so I'd check 'em out.

* * *

Cappy Town was always the most peaceful place in Dream Land on the planet Pop Star, and today was no exception as a figure watched the townspeople come out of their houses in the shadows. The masked knight was silent as a ghost with his cape around him while a few children started to run about with that soccer ball, and he noticed Tuff wasn't with them as usual. Meta Knight then remembered that Tiff and Tuff were both sick with colds today, and it was pretty early in the morning.

' _Hmm..It's very unusual for Kirby to not be up at this time.'_ The elder Star Warrior thought to himself, but didn't think much of it. After all, the young Star Warrior enjoyed sleeping in on occasion and today seemed to be no different. However, a nagging feeling told him that something was wrong with Kirby. Shaking it off, he frowned underneath his mask while looking up at the sky. Dew was still on the grass, and the sky had the colors of pink, gold and light blue as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Even though Nightmare and his company was destroyed, he was still on guard for any rouge Demon Beasts that may try to attack.

Turning around while in his thoughts, the male began his trek towards King Dedede's castle at a quick pace. The last time he had seen Kirby was in a room, and the young child had gone to bed at an early hour so why wasn't he up? No matter, sooner or later he will be playing with the other children as he normally would. There was nothing to be worried about, none whatsoever.

* * *

It was now in the early hours in the afternoon, and most of the Cappies hadn't seen or heard from Kirby at all. That was quite troubling to the knight as he finally walked towards the room he was in. Opening the door, he calmly walked inside while moving things out of his way. "Kirby?" He rumbled,noticing that there was a lump in the bed that was shaking. "Kirby, wake up." He climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers off the child,and he had to avoid letting out a swear word as he saw the state he was in.

"P-Poyo...Meta...cold...poyo.." Kirby whimpered as his glazed blue eyes looked upon his mentor, his pink face was a dark red due to his high fever while sweat poured from him. Coughing weakly, he attempted to snatch the covers back from Meta Knight but he could barely lift his little stubs as he shivered. Keeping calm, the knight rushed off the bed to find a bucket, a few pieces of cloth and a sink to fill the bucket with cold water.

Quickly returning with the things he was looking for, he had to fly a bit since the bucket was pretty heavy due to all the water. Dipping the cloth into the cold liquid, he began to feel angry at himself. Why hadn't he checked on Kirby sooner, assuming nothing was wrong while he was in here all by his lonesome for hours? Sick as a Scarfy, probably wondering where he or the others were at while his fever slowly got worse as the time passed! His amber eyes flashed red due to his anger, and he had to quickly calm himself once he put the cold cloth onto Kirby's forehead. Guilt twisted his insides as the boy let out a relived sigh, enjoying the short relief from the blistering heat that his illness was mercilessly torturing him without pause.

' _Kirby,_ _I'm so_ _sorry for not being with you_ _here_ _sooner.'_ He thought with sorrow, his eyes now a dark gray from his sadness. He wouldn't die, of course not! There was no way, this child faced down Nightmare himself and lived! He fought Demon Beasts nearly each week six months ago, sure he may have gotten hurt but there was in no danger of him going to the afterlife. But...but now with his fever being so high there was a chance... Meta Knight shook himself out of those dark thoughts as he distracted himself by trying to get this blasted fever down, while Kirby drifted off into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

While time seemed to have flown by before he found him, now it crawled on at a torturous pace as the caped Star Warrior stayed by the young one's side. He would dunk the water out the window when it started to become warm, and he would refill it with more cold water. Many times he made the trips, and his fever finally seemed to be coming down by the time night had fallen over Dream Land. Kirby stirred a bit, and he blinked in surprise as he saw his mentor. "Meta..poyo?" He croaked out as he became fully aware of what was going on.

"Kirby! Thank goodness you're alright." He said softly, checking the boy's temperature. He let out a mental sigh as he realized that by the next morning, his fever would finally break. "Now, get some more rest young one. You'll need your energy to play with the other children." He replied while beginning to rub Kirby's forehead softly, and he was rewarded with a child smiling warmly at him before he began to drift off once more.

Around five in the morning, Meta Knight slowly returned to the waking world since he had fallen asleep by mistake. Moving with the swiftness of one that has fought in many battles, he came face to face with a now pink faced Kirby. "Meta! You're awake, poyo!" He chirped happily, his blue eyes sparkling as he gave him a big hug. Meta Knight froze in surprise, but quickly hugged him back since there was only the two of them.

After letting go, he cleared his throat and said "Come now, your friends must be well by this time." He jumped off the bed, and then caught Kirby when he decided to mimic his actions a few seconds later. With a sigh, he began to walk out of the room with the smaller Star Warrior leaning against him for he was still weak from his battle with his fever.

Even though they walked at a slow pace towards the town, Kirby looked about with glee while trying to speak with his mentor. He would nod at him, but inside he was so relieved to see him alive. If he had been even an hour late in finding him, he would've found his corpse. The very thought of him dying while he was so young made him want to shiver, but he manged to pull himself together. Kirby was alive at this moment, not being buried into the ground. When they finally made it outside, the kids quickly rushed on over towards the two Star Warriors. Nodding, Meta Knight let him go to play with his friends and he quickly ran off to do so.

Later into the night, Kirby found his mentor looking out over the town, on the hill and in solitude as usual. Quietly, or as quietly as he thought the young boy walked up towards him while holding a rather huge watermelon. "Meta, poyo!" He squeaked, while the said knight turned around in slight surprise.

"Kirby? Why are you here so late?" He rumbled, while the boy put the fruit down onto the grass.

"Wanted...to..thank..you,poyo. For watching...after...poyo." He replied, still struggling with learning how to talk. Kirby then nudged the fruit towards him, and he asked sweetly "Do you want to...share..poyo?" Feeling touched by this gesture, Meta Knight grabbed Galaxia and cut the fruit in half, quickly grabbing his half before Kirby inhaled it along with his.

"Thank you." He replied, turning around to eat his half of the treat. He didn't want Kirby to look at his face while he ate, and once he was finished he pulled his mask back down before he sat down. He soon felt Kirby plopping down next to him and snuggling up to his side. It was a bit chilly that night, so Meta Knight quickly wrapped him up in his cape. Hearing the crickets chirping, and the overall peace had the child out like a light, and Meta Knight soon found himself doing the same but without having one last thought go through his mind.

' _By tomorrow,_ _everything_ _will be back to normal. The king will want to fuss about something stupid_ , _while_ _Kirby will just be running about with his friends.'_ But, after the events that took place...maybe 'normal' would be the best thing to happen. Yes, in this kind of town that seems to be a trouble magnet..peace and normal would indeed be the best thing.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, I know it's not much but I wanted it to be short and sweet. So I hope you guys enjoyed the father/son moments in this! Who knows, I might type up another one with Meta Knight and Kirby in the future.


	2. Protecting an adult from the same enemy

**A/N:** Hey there everyone! Here's another chapter since ya'll seem to want a continuation, and it's the last one for this fanfic. Because my mind has an idea for another Kirby and Meta Knight fic! But, I won't say what it is or when it will be published...you guys and girls will find out! Hee hee!

And I want to thank CelticQuailKnight, for that review inspired me to write this chapter! Also I just wanted to thank everyone for making my first fanfic such a success! I never would've dreamed that a little idea could be so well received! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and may God bless every single one of you!

* * *

The caped knight returned to the waking world, but good Nova in space did he feel awful! ' _Urgh...what in the_ _stars_?' He thought to himself, slowly opening his eyes. Once his vision cleared, he noticed that he was sweaty and chilly much like Kirby was when he found him a week ago. He quickly realized that he had picked up the child's fever, probably from him hovering over the boy like a blue angel. Remembering how bad off he was, the very memory of it still made him feel such guilt! He shook himself out of his thoughts, for it was already done and over with...there was no need to look back at it once more.

With a quiet grunt, Meta Knight slowly began to climb out of bed but he nearly fell flat on his face due to a wave of dizziness. Oh for the love of Pete! He was a legendary warrior, not some infant who could barely walk! Heaving himself up, he began the task of walking out of the room. He stood up straighter as he walked, wrapping himself up in his cape so no one could see him shivering. Hopefully, Kirby wouldn't notice his state of being.

Hearing a cheerful tune, the masked figure then saw the child in question as he skipped down the castle's hallways. "Meta, poyo! Good...morning!" He chirped, giving the knight a hug. Letting go, he stepped back and eyed the older and larger Star Warrior with a questioning glace. "Do you want...to play..poyo?" He asked, bouncing in place with excitement at the thought of being with his mentor and father figure for the whole day. Seeing Kirby move like that made Meta Knight sick to his stomach, but it wasn't from seeing the innocent boy at all.

Taking deep breaths to settle his stomach down, he rumbled "I suppose a game will not hurt you. Lead the way Kirby."

* * *

It was now about mid morning, and Meta Knight was now starting to feel even worse. He wouldn't dare tell Kirby what was wrong, for he didn't want the child to worry about him. "I found it, poyo!" The boy's voice cheered as he ran up to him with a rather large rock in his stubs.

"Very good Kirby, and you found it in a short time frame. Your skills are improving more each day." He praised, and was rewarded with a beaming smile that lit up the sky.

"Thank..you...poyo!" He replied, placing the stone down at Meta Knight's feet.

Looking closer, the boy could see... what was that on the grass? Sweat? He looked up at the sky, and there wasn't a cloud in sight at this very moment. He stared at the ground once more and quickly asked the knight, "Meta..poyo...are...you okay?"

He grunted out "Yes, I am fine young one...there is no need to worry...it is pretty hot today for the season to be spring." Titling his body to the side, and peering closer at his mentor he could see that the male was shivering. Was he afraid of something? Hah! That was silly, Meta Knight never feared anything in his eyes so Kirby nodded and decided to let it go.

' _Thank goodness he stopped looking.'_ He thought to himself with relief, then his eyes flashed pink with amusement as he saw the child munching on some of Whispy Wood's apples. Some things never changed at all, and that wasn't a bad thing. After Kirby was finished eating, he walked up to the knight with some more apples and put one in his gloved stub.

"For you, poyo!" He smiled and turned back around so he could walk back to the town, with his mentor slowly following him.

The trek was a long one, with the fever starting to grow worse as the minutes dragged on and the younger one of the duo skipping around and chasing everything. Softly huffing, he swallowed as the heat radiated from his face while the fever chills increased in merciless intensity. Just five more minutes, and they would finally make it to the town. Three minutes into the trek, Meta Knight stumbled and collapsed onto the grass but he quickly staggered to his feet. Grunting softly in surprise and annoyance, he knocked the pieces of grass off of his mask and hopefully there wasn't any stains or mud on him;cleaning the mask can be somewhat of a pain at times.

* * *

By the time the hours of the afternoon had blessed Cappy Town, Meta Knight and Kirby were laying down in bed after they fell asleep from a short nap. Stirring softly, Kirby yawned while rubbing his eyes with his stubs. What made the young child freeze in shock and fear was the sound of his mentor's breathing, for it sounded like he was short of breath due to a long training session with Sword and Blade. But...he was right next to him though, so what was wrong? Swallowing nervously, he looked on over at his father figure and cried out in horror for the knight was shaking violently from his illness.

"Meta, poyo! Wake...up!" He whimpered, crawling over to him and shaking him.

With a groan, Meta Knight coughed "K-Kirby...I'm a-awake." Looking around frantically, the pink hero found the same bucket and pieces of cloth that Meta Knight had used on him. Huh, they had stumbled into the same room from a week ago! What a small world they lived in! Shaking himself, Kirby climbed out of the bed to fill the bucket up. Once he returned with it, he had made a mess due to the fact he spilled water everywhere. Ignoring it however, he dipped the cloths into the cold liquid and squeezed as much water out as he could.

Making more of a mess due to spilling more water onto the bed sheets, Kirby walked on over to the shaking Star Warrior. "...Meta...poyo...why didn't..you tell me you were...sick?" He whispered, feeling slightly hurt since he could've helped him a while ago! No matter, what was done in the past stays in the past even though he may not want it to at times. Frowning, he grabbed Meta Knight's mask and tried to take it off but the knight twitched away. "Poyo! Stay...still please!" Kirby grunted, finally managing to take it off and he found...himself? Well, not fully since the knight's dark blue face had cheeks that was the same purple as his feet but a darker shade due to his fever. The knight's eyes were a pure white color, a sharp contrast to his blue ones. However, his eyes were glazed over from his illness and he was staring at the boy in a sort of daze.

Time now crawled by as Kirby stayed with his father figure, and his fever didn't act like it wanted to go down at all! Seeing Meta Knight in such a state had tears fill Kirby's eyes, since he didn't want to lose his mentor! He wouldn't know what to do if he left and never came back! The boy let out a sob as his heart began to hurt from the thought of the knight dying, and a few tears fell onto Meta Knight's face. "Please...don't leave me...poyo...I...wanted to ask...you if I can call...you daddy..poyo..." Wiping his face, he quickly began to work on bringing his fever down.

* * *

Back and forth, back and forth. A constant emptying and filling of water late into the new morning. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he whimpered as his stomach began to rumble from not eating. But, Meta Knight needed him! What if he ate and came back, and found the knight...Kirby shuddered at the thought, and he placed a stub onto the knight's forehead. "Thank...you Nova! Thank you..poyo...for not taking him!" Kirby cried out in relief, sobbing once more as he felt the much cooler forehead of his father figure.

* * *

Meta Knight, now recovered from his fever from two days ago was looking into the sunrise on that same hill he and Kirby had fallen asleep on. ' _Kirby...Thank you.'_ The Star Warrior thought, his heart warming at the thought of the young boy returning the favor. He easily could've found an adult, or even Sword and Blade to take care of him. But the child held such love for him...something that still boggled Meta Knight's mind.

"Meta, poyo!" He turned around to see Kirby running towards him with the biggest smile he had ever seen on the boy's face.

"Oof!" He grunted as the child smashed into him with the tight hug that a child gives their parent.

"I'm glad you're okay...poyo!" He sniffled, tearing up a bit as he felt the knight's loving embrace. "Umm...can I...poyo..." He trailed off, and he let him go to see his face.

The boy was looking shyly at his feet, and he rumbled "What is it young one?"

Kirby swallowed and asked again "Umm...can I...call you...daddy? While we train, poyo! Not out in town, poyo." He looked up, but the masked knight was shocked at the fact of Kirby asking him that.

"You...want to call me...daddy?" The knight asked, still in slight shock.

Kirby nodded, and then beamed happily as the knight rumbled "I suppose that's something I'll have to get used to, being called that in training hm?" After he was tackled into another hug, maybe this sweet and innocent little boy will give his life meaning once more. Yes, he may had lost Garlude and Jecra thanks to death and Yamikage to betrayal...but he had gained another thing in his life that he will protect for the rest of his days: An adopted son.


End file.
